Who is Mathias Lessort? Meet the French big man ahead of the Olympic basketball gold medal showdown against USA

The men’s basketball event at the 2024 Paris Olympics is heading towards an entertaining end. France has emerged as the biggest threat to Team USA’s otherwise flawless campaign, with players like Rudy Gobert, Victor Wembanyama and Mathias Lessort looking to quash USA's plans for a straightforward gold medal.

While Gobert and Wembanyama are bonafide NBA stars, Lessort has used this tournament to make a name for himself. The 6-foot-9 center has become a key player for France, making an impact on both defense and offense. He started the competition as a secondary option to Gobert but his plays have become pivotal for the team.

Born in Martinique, France, Mathias Lessort plays professionally for the Greek team Panathinaikos B.C. and is 28 years old. While his heroics in the ongoing tournament might lead many to wonder why he has not already made his NBA debut, the New York Knicks were rumored to be close to getting his signature, but the negotiations stalled earlier this offseason.

Mathias Lessort is making a name for himself during the 2024 Paris Olympics

The hooper took a different path than his father, who was a soccer player, and two older brothers, Gregory and Mikael. Lessort has been a professional basketball player since 2010. He made his debut in the French National Championship with Elan Chalon and won the Trophée du Futur in 2013. However, his first professional contract came in 2014.

The player has since played for multiple professional teams across the globe. After his time with Elan Chalon, he joined JSF Nanterre, where he won the French Basketball Cup and FIBA Europe Cup in 2017. He has since played for several other European teams, including the Serbian club Crvena Zvezda, the Spanish team Unicaja and Germany’s Bayern Munich.

His best years came with AS Monaco, where he won the EuroCup championship in 2021. After that, he played for Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv and Serbia’s Partizan before making his way to his current team Panathinaikos at the beginning of 2023.

While Mathias Lessort has yet to make his NBA bow, he has enjoyed a stellar professional career. He was instrumental in his team’s EuroLeague title run in 2024, especially starring in the final against Real Madrid with 17 points and 16 rebounds. He was also selected 50th overall in the 2017 NBA draft.

Mathias Lessort was picked by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2017 NBA draft

Lessort was not considered skillful enough to be a bonafide star in the NBA but was selected 50th overall by the 76ers in the 2017 NBA draft. His draft rights were traded to the LA Clippers, then to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and finally to the New York Knicks. He was released and joined AS Monaco that same off-season.

Regardless, his lack of an NBA debut has been questioned by French coach Vincent Collet, who believes Lessort has all the skills to succeed in the toughest basketball league in the world. He scored 10 points and four rebounds against Germany, following his tournament-best performance of 13 points and five rebounds against Canada in the quarterfinals.

Mathias Lessort is confident about his impact and said:

“We are in the final of the Olympics. We are not here by luck. We are here because we deserve it. Whoever we will face in the final, we will go out there and fight and try to make it as hard as possible for them to beat us.” [H/T Eurohoops.net]

Hence, needless to say, Lessort is looking to produce another big game, this one with the gold medal at stake for Team France.